


my kingdom for your graces

by noirheart (Flumes)



Series: welcome to the new frontier [2]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, I.M is the reluctant heir to the mob, Kihyun is Not Happy about it, M/M, Monsta X love their maknae, Organized Crime, Yoo Kihyun-centric, jealousy era, lowkey fluffy for gang shenanigans, mild age-difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 13:24:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15641637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flumes/pseuds/noirheart
Summary: Minhyuk sighs, perching on his desk and fiddling with his paperweight. “There’s been a slight, hm, wrench in the plans.”Kihyun narrows his eyes. “Explain ‘wrench’?”“Did you know that Hyungsoo had a son?”He drops his pen. It rolls across his desk, falls, and clatters to the floor.





	my kingdom for your graces

 

Kim Hyungsoo dies on a completely normal day. The trusted members of the manor go to sleep one night, believing their leader to be alive and well, only to find a bullet through his brain and blood spraying the walls when he fails to rise at his usual six am start the next morning. There’s no fanfare, no shoot outs, no warnings. Just the rising sun shining on the already dried stains ruining Hyungsoo’s ornate wallpaper. The body lies lifeless and still on a bed of crimson drenched cotton, not a single note to suggest which of the gang’s many enemies might have done it.

 

Kim Hyungsoo dies on a completely normal day and throws the Goemul into chaos.

 

*

 

The door knocks once, hesitantly, and then slightly louder, twice. Instead of coming in the person waits outside and Kihyun drums his fingers on his desk in irritation, his other hand scrubbing at eyes tired of staring at the paperwork piled high on his desk.

 

Yes?” he calls out. “Come in.”

 

A face appears around the door, smiling in a way this isn’t a smile at all. Minhyuk’s dark eyes sweep over him with judgement. “Kihyun, how long have you been working here? You need to take a rest.”

 

Taking a rest isn’t going to find their leader’s killer. Taking a rest isn’t going to sort out what’s going to happen to them now, with uncertainty over who’s going to take over. Kihyun knows they’re all waiting for him to make a bid; he was Kim Hyungsoo’s right hand long enough that he’s the perfect candidate to take over. But that’s never been his game. He likes to stand in the shadow of whoever leads, visible, but not the centre, so that he can slip through the cracks and surprise their enemies when they’re distracted with what they think is the bigger threat.

 

It really has to be Hyunwoo but convincing these old dogs to take someone not of the immediate family is causing him a headache. What he wouldn’t give to gun down all the naysayers and rebuild their organisation in his own image. Without Hyungsoo there to bog them down with his stagnant ideas he intends to do just that. But he needs to have someone he can trust at the helm of the ship if he is to be the navigator. Someone strong and unshakeable, like Hyunwoo. Kihyun doesn’t understand why the others don’t see it.

 

The others that are not part of the select inner circle Kihyun plans to surround himself with, that is. Members that have proven skills and loyalty both. Members who understand why Hyunwoo is the perfect candidate for leadership. Other gangs are afraid of him; of his bulk, his skill, and his calm, stoic demeanour. They see strength when they look at him, and in a time of crisis when the family are at their most vulnerable, that is exactly what they need.

 

“You’re spacing out again,” says Minhyuk, crossing his arms. “Come on, you need to eat something and go to bed.”

 

Kihyun glares up at him, even though he knows he’s right. It’s probably because he knows Minhyuk is right; he just doesn’t want to hear it. “You clearly came to tell me something or you wouldn’t have been so skittish a minute ago. What’s going on?”

 

Minhyuk bites his lip, glancing away for a moment. “It’s nothing. It can wait.”

 

“ _Minhyuk,_ ” he warns.

 

“You’re not going to like it.”

 

“When do I ever?”

 

Minhyuk sighs, perching on his desk and fiddling with his paperweight. “There’s been a slight, hm, wrench in the plans.”

 

Kihyun narrows his eyes. “Explain ‘wrench’?”

 

“Did you know that Hyungsoo had a son?”

 

He drops his pen. It rolls across his desk, falls, and clatters to the floor. Kihyun sweeps his eyes over Minhyuk’s face but he knows his friend is not a good enough liar to be playing him for a fool. Snapping his mouth closed, he tries to process the information, shifting around the pieces of his plan into a new order in light of this insight. It’s a wrench alright, one he should have prepared for, but it could potentially be an opportunity if he prepares properly.

 

“Who else knows?”

 

Minhyuk leans in. “So far? You, me, and Jooheon. One of his contacts informed him.”

 

Kihyun nods, thinking. “If the rest of the members find out they’ll riot. They’re not going to accept Hyunwoo over Hyungsoo’s own blood. We have to find this kid and make sure he stays hidden, get him on our side. This cannot get out, understand?”

 

On a weaker man his gaze would have shaken them but Minhyuk simply rolls his eyes, accustomed to his intensity. “Jooheon isn’t going to blab. We can trust him.”

 

“Jooheon is unpredictable. I don’t need a wildcard in this scenario right now.”

 

“Kihyun. Stop overthinking. Hoseok and I will track this boy down and then we’ll go from there. Right now you need some sleep or you won’t be able to do anything.”

 

With a sigh he lets Minhyuk lead him off to bed. “This conversation isn’t over.”

 

Minhyuk hums in agreement. “We’ll sort it out. Leave it to us.”

 

And at some point Kihyun needs to step back and trust that his men can keep their word. He does. He absolutely does. But it doesn’t make it any easier to not do everything himself.

 

*

 

In the days coming where he waits for news from Minhyuk and Hoseok, Kihyun tries to busy himself with family matters to distract him from the ticking time bomb that is Hyungsoo’s son. He deals, swiftly and efficiently, with anyone who tries to attack them at their weakened state, and sends Jooheon to take care of any messier situations he cannot deal with on his own. In the mean time he pours over accounts of that night, trying to find some witness, some clue as to what happened.

 

He has no doubt some rival tried to eliminate their competition but they have so many it’s hard to keep track of who would be the most likely candidate. There’s a stirring in the underworld, he can sense it. An uneasy unrest. Newer gangs are gradually upending the old, replacing old antiquated ways with fresh ideas, new technology, new investments, and new techniques for laundering money. That is the cruelty of their world. What can’t survive and adapt to the new ways gets eaten up and consumed, fuel for the new blood. The looming war between those that refuse to budge and those who are greedy for consuming more of Seoul is poised on the horizon and Kihyun needs to be ready for it.

 

It starts with making sure his family is under control. The most important piece on the board he finds in the gym, making fast, shallow jabs into a punching bag, followed by full body strikes that smack into the fabric, the sound echoing in the wide space of the gym. Muscles shift and tense in the overhead lighting, each smack punctuated by grunts of exertion. Eventually sensing Kihyun’s presence, Hyunwoo catches the bag with his fists and turns, wiping sweaty hair off his forehead.

 

“Kihyun,” is all he says. An acknowledgement and a question in one.

 

“I came to see how you were getting on. I hope this isn’t a sign of frustration.”

 

Hyunwoo snorts, walking towards the bench so he can towel off some of the sweat. “Progress was never going to be fast. It doesn’t help that they remember my youth. I used to be too quick to jump in. Too reckless. That could work against us.” He takes a swig of his water bottle and sighs.

 

Kihyun sits down next to him, staring out at the shining floor of the gym. The overhead lights hum, filling the lapses of silence between them. “They will follow you. You just need to keep proving that you’re dependable now and they’ll come around.”

 

Hyunwoo turns to gaze at him. “What are you hiding? What is it that has you pushing this so hard?”

 

Kihyun blinks, looks away, runs a hand through his hair, and then looks back. “This can’t leave the room, okay?”

 

Hyunwoo nods.

 

“Hyungsoo had a son. Has a son. A son who could threaten what we’re building here, if he’s gunning for his father’s place. Heck, even if he isn’t, some of the men will look to use him as a pawn for their own bids for leadership. We have to get this under control and fast.”

 

Leaning back, Hyunwoo rubs a hand over his chin. “Why is this only coming out now? Surely if the son was interested in Hyungsoo’s affairs he would have been around from the start?”

 

“Does it matter? The only thing that matters is what he could represent. Especially when Hyungsoo’s killer is running around unpunished.”

 

“You think if I’m the one to bring him to justice that will be enough to cement leadership.”

 

Kihyun sighs, tugging at his hair. It has grown course since he dyed it, once blood red now fading into fiery orange. “It would be a start. Besides, knowing the killer is still out there makes me anxious. More and more we have to be careful here.”

 

Hyunwoo, being Hyunwoo, simply nods, taking all of this ridiculously calmly. It’s why Kihyun singled him out for leadership. He is unflappable; a pillar upon which they can all lean. Certainly more open-minded to his ideas that Hyungsoo ever was. This could be a new era for them all and having it so close to his fingertips only makes him want to reach out all that much harder.

 

“Kihyun,” says Hyunwoo, breaking his trail of thought, “you aren’t planning on killing the boy, are you?”

 

Kihyun freezes, unable to find the words right away. “Only if it’s necessary.”

 

“What is necessary?”

 

Standing, he dusts off his trousers so he doesn’t have to bear the weight of Hyunwoo’s judging gaze. “I’ll know when I get to it. Just – be prepared.”

 

“For what?”

 

“There’s a storm coming.”

 

And Kihyun plans to come out the other side to sunshine.

 

*

 

The call comes at two in the morning, shaking him from a disturbing dream of his childhood home that dredges up memories he’d rather not relive. Disorientated, Kihyun slaps a hand across his night stand until he locates his phone, thumbing to answer and snapping, “Yes?” into the receiver.

 

“We found him,” says Minhyuk, a little breathless. “We found the son.”

 

Kihyun sits up, immediately wide awake. “Well? Tell me?”

 

“It’s probably better if you come and meet him yourself.”

 

Kihyun scowls. He doesn’t like surprises. Even so, he trusts Minhyuk and Hoseok, so he throws on a suit and heads to the address Minhyuk texts him, feeling a mixture of trepidation and anticipation. How he handles Hyungsoo’s son is pivotal. He can’t afford to let the boy run off with ideas of taking over the business; if he thinks he can swan in now and just take over because of the blood running in his veins, well, Kihyun will delight in proving why he’s wrong.

 

So he makes sure his appearance is as sharp as ever, fiddling with his cufflinks in the back seat of the cool sedan. “Just pull over here,” he commands the driver, stepping out into an ordinary city street. The place he finds himself in front of is one of those 24 hours cafes, yet the place looks dead from the outside and he wonders briefly if it’s a front for something. But, no, this area still falls under what was Hyungsoo’s territory. Kihyun would know if it’s being used for other purposes.

 

Inside there’s no one but a group sequestered in the corner, the lights dimmed as if to ward off any potential customers who might think about entering. Minhyuk peeks his golden head around Hoseok’s shoulder and waves him over, to which Kihyun rolls his eyes, but he can’t stop the small fond smile that passes his lips. How someone like Minhyuk ended up part of the underworld, he’ll never know.

 

“Kihyun,” he says in his husky voice as Kihyun folds himself into a chair, “meet Changkyun.”

 

Kihyun is already looking at Changkyun and immediately he is not what he expects. Changkyun stares back at him quietly, a little more handsome than his predecessor, a lot mousier. He could almost be described as timid, as his eyes flick rapidly between Kihyun’s outstretched hand and his gaze, before he finally accepts his hand with a weak shake.

 

“I am Yoo Kihyun. I was a friend of your father’s.”

 

“Yes,” he says, surprising Kihyun twice in as many minutes with how deep his voice rumbles. “I know.”

 

“Then you know why I am here.”

 

Changkyun drops his gaze, staring at his half empty cup of coffee. “Not really.”

 

Kihyun sighs, glancing at Minhyuk and Hoseok who both shrug. “Your father is dead.”

 

He doesn’t flinch. “I know,” he says, gravelly with emotion.

 

“Your father is dead and he left behind a valuable business. One that needs a leader.”

 

That gets him looking up, lips parting as he frowns. “Surely, you don’t think I...”

 

It’s an immediate relief. The boy isn’t after power. But even so, the threat is not over yet. If anyone else were to discover this secret, were to find him as easily as Minhyuk and Hoseok did, then they would all find themselves with a serious fight on their hands. Changkyun could easily be a pawn in greedy hands should someone covet the fruits of Hyungsoo’s labour. Scratch that, of Kihyun’s labour. He has worked hard to build their organisation up from the ground. In many ways it’s as much his as it is Hyungsoo’s.

 

“No,” he says calmly. “I don’t expect that of you.”

 

“Then what do you want from me?”

 

“Ideally I’d like you to disappear and never come back.”

 

Changkyun does flinch at that, shrinking back in his seat, and Minhyuk titters in disapproval at him. Such a soft heart, Minhyuk has. It’s why he’s not in charge.

 

“But unfortunately it’s too difficult to make you disappear completely. These days it’s so easy to trace anyone.”

 

“So what do you want?”

 

Kihyun pauses, thinking. “I want to you to come back with us.” Minhyuk and Hoseok’s gazes are heavy on either side of him but he ignores them. “Support our bid for leadership and then you can walk away from all of this, if you want.”

 

Changkyun shakes his head. “I already did walk away. What makes you think I’ll go back?”

 

“Because Lim Changkyun, everyone you love is dead.” He had done his reading in the car ride over, pouring over what Minhyuk had sent to him. “You have nowhere else to go, do you?”

 

For the first time in this conversation Changkyun looks defiant, eyes blazing. “Why should I support you? I don’t know you. I don’t have any reason to.”

 

“Changkyun,” says Minhyuk softly, “just stay with us for a little while. That’s all we’re asking, okay?”

 

Changkyun still looks like a wounded animal but he caves to Minyuk’s imploring eyes with a brief nod and Kihyun is momentarily envious of Minhyuk’s ability to sooth people. Natural born leader he might not be, but his friend has skills that are every bit as useful, and he has worked his way up the rankings for good reason.

 

“Glad that’s settled. Changkyun, if you’ll follow me.”

 

He doesn’t miss the way the boy’s eyes follow him as he rises from his seat, nor the strange flicker of emotion that stirs in his gut. Pity. He thinks it might be pity. The boy is pretty pitiful, even for someone as cold as Kihyun. But he can’t afford to be soft right now, not when everything is at stake.

 

*

 

Over the following days Kihyun sees little of Changkyun, holed up with his accounts, and his men, and the reports of Hyungsoo’s death. What few encounters ensue are fleeting, a mere meeting of gazes before Changkyun pulls away, eyes falling to the floor as if he finds Kihyun particularly distasteful. Well, that’s fine. It doesn’t matter if Changkyun likes him or not. He only has to publicly show support of his plans.

 

“When are you going to reveal him to the others?” asks Hoseok one day as Kihyun catches him returning from the gym, muscles bulging from his shirt. Despite his intimidating appearance, he seems soft on the boy, nearly as soft as Minhyuk, but neither of them show it outwardly. Changkyun is not one of them. Kindness is only shown to the proven members of their inner circle and no one else, for they cannot be seen to be sympathetic to the outside world. It is merely their way.

 

“I don’t know yet,” he sighs. “I do not know if he is ready for it. He seems… far less commanding than I expected.”

 

“Isn’t that a good thing? He’s hardly likely to usurp Hyunwoo.”

 

“Well, yes. But he’s not going to inspire any confidence like this. He needs to be a little more –”

 

“Believable?”

 

“Yeah, something like that.”

 

Hoseok sighs, leaning back against the wall. His eyes are constantly alert, even in the safety of their own home. “He told me he knows how to use a gun. His father made sure he had basic training at least.”

 

Kihyun nods. “I’ll check and see what he knows. If we need to give him a little training before he’s ready to face the dogs so be it. Have him meet me at the shooting range, will you? I’ll inspect it for myself. And take a shower, you stink.”

 

Hoseok swats him with the towel slung over his neck and saunters off, leaving him to make his own way to the range. It’s little more than a converted basement with targets against the far wall, riddled with bullets and looking a little worse for wear by now. When any of the men are having issues it’s custom to come down here and work out any frustrations. Kihyun has found his therapy here more than a few times, comfortably familiar with the echo of his dress shoes against concrete as he selects a gun for Changkyun and walks over to one of the lanes, humming as he does so.

 

The echo of a door sounds not long after, soon followed by footsteps. Changkyun appears in view, swathed in an oversized hoodie that dwarfs his frame. He looks young. Fragile. Kihyun doesn’t allow himself to dwell on it. Instead, he passes the gun into Changkyun’s waiting hands.

 

“How well can you shoot?” he asks.

 

Changkyun stares at it. “Is this necessary?”

 

“Yes.”

 

With a soft sigh Changkyun nudges past him to stand before the target, fingers sweeping over the edges of the gun as he checks it with enough precision to let Kihyun know he has handled a weapon before. Lining it up with both hands, he squints a little and then fires off a round of shots that reverberate through the basement, even with the noise muffling headphones they both wear for protection. There are five neat holes in the body, all hitting the target. The precision isn’t perfect – hitting the shoulder or the abdomen isn’t an immediate kill shot – but even so it’s better than he had been expecting.

 

Changkyun turns with his brows raised and slaps the gun back into his palm. Unable to resist, Kihyun smirks at him and then turns around, firing five perfect shots into the head of the target. He turns back to see Changkyun staring at it with an unreadable expression as he slips off his headphones to speak.

 

“You need to focus your aim a little more. Like this, see?” he says, beckoning him forward. Once he’s in front of him, Kihyun adjusts the position of his arms, tilting his shoulders, pointing down the line his gaze should be focused on. “Try it now,” he says into Changkyun’s ear. The boy shivers beneath him.

 

With an inhale of breath he can feel, Changkyun squeezes the trigger. Three shots to the head of the target, smoke curling up from the gun. For a moment they let the sounds echo and fade, silence falling. Kihyun can feel the heat of his body when they’re standing so close and it’s strangely not unpleasant. Before he can pick that thought apart Changkyun pulls back, looking a little startled.

 

“I don’t know why you want me to do this.”

 

Kihyun sighs. The kid really isn’t one of them. “I need you to be Hyungsoo’s son right now. Just until Hyunwoo’s position is solidified.”

 

“This really matters to you, huh?”

 

“Yes. These boys are my family.”

 

Changkyun’s eyes drop at that, foot kicking at the ground. “Must be nice.”

 

Kihyun has to wonder who this kid is, that he can make him feel such a strong pang of sympathy for him. He’s no monster, but he hardly made his name in this world by being soft.

 

“You know,” he ventures, “there are always places here for those willing to work hard and show their loyalty.”

 

When Changkyun’s eyes flick back up there’s something akin to hope shimmering there and it’s just a little too much for him. Coughing, he says, “I need to go. Come down here and practice, if you like.”

 

“Yeah,” he hears behind him as he walks off.

 

Above ground, he leans against the door for a moment to catch the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. The boy is too pure, too earnest, to deserve this. He walked away, and Kihyun dragged him back into the hellhole that is this world, and he can’t really fight off the guilt now that he can see what kind of person Hyungsoo’s son really is. So different from the man himself. It’s not going to change anything – he’ll do anything to stabilise his and his men’s positions – but he can’t help but hope that once the smoke has cleared Changkyun will be able to walk away unscathed.

 

Even if he knows from experience that’s never the case.

 

*

 

“Here’s the thing. Anyone could be trying to advantage of our weakness right now. As of now everyone is our enemy. We need to stand firm and focus on ourselves. Revenge can come later.”

 

Kihyun looks at the red spots against the pristine white porcelain of the sink as he washes his hands and snorts. “You think I don’t know that? I’m aware that they’re swooping in from all sides. Trying to fend them off when our men are so divided is giving me a damn headache.”

 

Hoseok sighs, crossing his arms. “I know, Kihyun, I know. I just…”

 

“You just, what?”

 

“I just think you’re getting yourself all wound up about who killed Hyungsoo when we should be focusing on getting Hyunwoo into position. I’ve had to break up three fights between men in the last week alone.”

 

Kihyun dries off his hands, scowling when there’s a streak of pink on his fluffy white towel. Throwing it into the laundry basket, he stalks back through from the bathroom and flops into the chair behind his desk, palms flattening on its surface. “They’ll listen when they have a common enemy to seek revenge against. They’ll listen to Hyunwoo when he’s the one to avenge them.”

 

“This empire can’t be built on vengeance.”

 

“No, what would you suggest instead?”

 

“Focusing on the X Drop. Drugs make money. Men will follow money.” Hoseok can look intimidating for all his bulk, but Kihyun doesn’t feel threatened by him when he gets passionate like this. Ultimately, the back-and-forth is good for their plans. He relies on it, to keep his ideas concrete. To fill in the holes.

 

“And we are. Hyungwon is developing a new version as we speak. He promises it’ll be ready for launch soon.”

 

Hoseok sweeps a hand through midnight black hair. “There must be a way to find out who did this. Fuck, whoever did it was smart. There’s no camera footage, no fingerprints, no nothing.”

 

“It may be time to put our ear to the ground. Make use of favours owed. Speak to who we know.”

 

Hoseok straightens. “Can we trust others?”

 

Kihyun sighs, tugging at his lip subconsciously. “There are a few I trust. Those I have known since before our respective ascensions. They might have heard some things.”

 

“Yeah, maybe.”

 

Kihyun is just about to speak when a knock comes at the door. Minhyuk enters without waiting for his call, dark eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “Another fight has broken out. I would send for Jooheon but –”

 

“Jooheon will make everything worse,” Kihyun says, meeting Hoseok’s weary gaze. With a nod, the man exits to go and deal with what is now the fourth fight this weak.

 

Minhyuk hovers in the centre of the room, dress shoes twisting in Kihyun’s ornate rug. He bites his lip, looking lost, and Kihyun quashes the sigh threatening to break free. They’re all worn out. Hyungsoo’s death has hit them all harder than he ever could have realised and now they have been left to pick up the pieces of the man’s shattered reign. He wants to believe he’s got what it takes to salvage this, to steer them into less turbulent waters, but as it is he’s as lost as all of them, ultimately looking for a way to establish their group as a player in Seoul’s underground like they once were.

 

“You did the right thing,” Kihyun says.

 

“I don’t know,” Minhyuk says, huffing a sardonic laugh. “I don’t really know what we’re doing right now.”

 

“You knew what you were doing at the start of this, didn’t you?”

 

Minhyuk looks at him, all big eyes and soft lines. “Yeah.”

 

“Hold onto that. We’ll find a way out of this mess, I promise.”

 

“You sound so confident.”

 

Kihyun laughs, leaning back in his chair. “Well. Someone’s got to be.” If it’s got to be someone, it might as well be him.

 

*

 

Jooheon is the first of them to crack. One minute he’s claiming he hates Changkyun and will never accept him as Hyungsoo’s son, the next Kihyun sees them parading around together, voices shouting over one another in a raucous din. He brings out Jooheon’s full grin – the one that shows his dimples and crescent eyes – and in turn Jooheon brings out a vibrancy in Changkyun he hasn’t seen in the weeks since he first came to the house.

 

One day the two of them are, of all things, sword fighting across the courtyard with the katanas Jooheon was gifted the last time they visited their partners in Osaka. Unable to help himself, Kihyun stands in the archway that looks out, crossing his arms as he laughs at their antics, Jooheon probably blowing his lungs out with how loud he screams every time Changkyun nearly lands a hit. And clearly Kihyun has underestimated him because he keeps up with their primary enforcer well, steel clashing together as they whirl and duck and lunge.

 

Suddenly Changkyun spots him and freezes, Jooheon nearly spearing him until he notices, and Kihyun doesn’t miss Changkyun’s wide eyes, or the way he retreats into himself at the sight of him. It’s the kind of sight Kihyun normally enjoys inspiring in others but right now it only annoys him, especially when of the two of them, Jooheon is generally considered to be a lot more frightening. There’s something wrong if Changkyun find him more terrifying than _Jooheon_.

 

“Hyung!” exclaims Jooheon. “Look how good our Changkyunnie is!”

 

Kihyun’s brows raise at this. Their relationship has obviously developed faster than he realised. His eyes rake over Changkyun, still breathing hard, strands of black hair sticking to his forehead.

 

“Mm,” he says, “I can see that.”

 

“You totally lied to me, dude,” Jooheon says, nudging a stiff Changkyun. “You’re awesome!”

 

“Thanks,” he mumbles.

 

“Jooheon, do you mind if I have a word with Changkyun?”

 

Jooheon looks between them and shrugs. “Sure. I was gonna go see how Hyungwon was getting on anyway.” He slaps a hand on Changkyun’s back. “See you letter, buddy.” Then he’s jogging off, leaving the two of them alone. The sudden silence in Jooheon’s absence feels heavy. Kihyun is not sure how to lighten it.

 

“You seem to be settling in well here,” he ventures, gesturing for them to walk across the courtyard.

 

Changkyun nods, not looking his way. “Jooheon has been good to me.”

 

Kihyun has to resist from snorting. “I know I said it before but perhaps it bears repeating. There’s always room here for someone who is loyal and hard-working, if family is what you’re looking for.” He would take Changkyun in, raise him properly, if he really wanted somewhere to truly belong. Show him that family doesn’t mean blood. It’s stitching up bullet wounds, offering the last cup of coffee, listening to each other’s opinions even if he has his own ideas. It’s being there for someone and having them be there in turn. The one constant in their crazy, violent world.

 

Dark eyes flick up to meet his. Changkyun frowns, wets his lips, and then says, “Sorry?”

 

Kihyun shakes his head. “I’m just saying that if you’re looking for somewhere to belong. You wouldn’t do wrong here.”

 

“Even if I’m Hyungsoo’s son?”

 

“I don’t think you’re the type to betray us, are you?”

 

“Ah,” he says, looking forlorn, “I’m not really cut out for this world, I don’t think.”

 

Kihyun looks him up and down, cocking his head. “I don’t know. You might surprise yourself.”

 

Changkyun blinks, a small smile forming. “I’ll think about it.”

 

Kihyun nods. Before they can finish the conversation he’s interrupted by the next crisis, but he can’t help looking back as he leaves, at Changkyun so small under the harsh light of the afternoon, scuffling his shoes on the stone. The urge to protect is new – for Kihyun only protects what is his and Changkyun is not – but he thinks maybe, maybe, he could be.

 

*

 

The next of them to crack is, of course, Hyunwoo himself. For all his intimidating height and bulk, the man is as soft as a marshmallow for those he considers his friends. Kihyun has a stack of paperwork that he needs Hyunwoo’s advice on and he knows if Hyunwoo isn’t in his office he’s almost always at the gym. But he’s a little startled to find Hyunwoo running through a series of self-defence movements with Changkyun there, directing him where to hit on a person’s body that will hurt the most, such as the kidney or the throat. He pulls Changkyun’s elbow up sharply, demonstrating the move.

 

“You don’t have to be tall to be effective,” Hyunwoo says, completely focused on the training.

 

Kihyun hangs in the doorway, content to watch them a little longer. Changkyun drinks in every word eagerly, nodding and then repeating Hyunwoo’s motion but without the same finesse. He has to hand it to him, though, because he doesn’t give up. On and on he tries, until he finally manages to slip out of Hyunwoo’s grasp and twist his arm around.

 

“Well done,” Hyunwoo nods, and it’s then that his eyes flick up, noticing Kihyun.

 

Chankhyun follows his gaze and stiffens, the easy camaraderie lost to awkward tension. Kihyun ignores it, sweeping into the gym. “You two seem to be doing well.”

 

“Changkyun is a quick learner,” Hyunwoo says. He’s giving Kihyun the eyes, the one that says he wants to adopt. The same ones he gave when Jooheon came along, all hard edges and too much frantic energy to be contained until they taught him how to utilise it effectively. Turned him into the weapon he has become.

 

“I should – I should go and, um – eat. Yeah, I’m super hungry.” And before Kihyun can stop him he’s scampering off.

 

Kihyun sighs. “He keeps running away from me. I don’t know what I’ve done to make him so jumpy around me.”

 

Hyunwoo raises a brow. “I don’t know, you can be pretty frightening.”

 

“Only when I’m trying to be.”

 

Hyunwoo laughs softly. “What was it you wanted to speak about?” he says as he starts to pack up his equipment.

 

“It’s time to start calling in favours. We’re going to have to go to everyone we know and find out who the fuck murdered Hyungsoo under our very noses.”

 

“You want me to get in touch with JB and the boys?” Hyunwoo says, scratching his head. “Might be tough. He’s pretty hard to reach these days. He’s gone pretty legit now. Well, mostly.”

 

“Try it anyway. Youngjae, too. Sungjin. Peniel. Anyone that might know something.”

 

“If we don’t find out –”

 

“We will.”

 

“But if we don’t, we need to prepare for the possibility. Things are getting out of control here.”

 

Kihyun sighs, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Then establish yourself. The best thing to do is show that you’re their best chance for survival. We’ll get back on our feet.”

 

Hyunwoo nods. “I’ll get back to you with what I find out.”

 

“I’ve talked to the boys. They’ll hit up every ally and contact we’ve made over the years. Someone is bound to know _something._ ”

 

With that he retreats for his office, to make himself some piss poor coffee and pour over records he’s already looked at a thousand times, in the hopes he’ll find something he has missed. His eyes are straining and he barely sees the words anymore but Kihyun can’t rest until he finds out. Changkyun is the last puzzle piece they need; if they can offer up a villain to this story the men will rally around a Hyunwoo with the heir’s support. But if they don’t find the culprit any new venture will be built on shaky foundations. For if the killer succeeded once, they could easily strike again.

 

A knock on the door startles him and he nearly yells at them to leave him alone but he cracks with a sigh and calls them in.

 

A tentative Changkyun appears at the door, wringing his hands together. “I was wondering – could I have a word?”

 

Kihyun sits up, suddenly alert again after the drudgery has nearly put him to sleep. “Come in. Take a seat.”

 

With quick, stilted movements, Changkyun sits, never quite meeting his gaze. His eyes skirt all over his office but slide away any time it gets too close to him. Kihyun doesn’t know why it annoys him so much, but somehow it does, and he drums his fingers on the desk as he waits in the pregnant silence.

 

“What can I do for you?” he says eventually, when it’s become too heavy, too ripe with the crippling tension.

 

“Oh, um. I know you’re looking for who killed my father.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’d like to help you look. I mean, I know we weren’t close, and I walked away from all this, but…”

 

“He’s still your father.”

 

Changkyun finally looks up at him, big dark eyes impenetrable. “Yeah,” he says, voice raw.

 

Kihyun considers, glancing over the files on his desk. Perhaps Changkyun might know – might be able to drudge up information of old rivalries from the vestiges of his childhood. It couldn’t hurt. “I’m going to meet an old friend of mine to see if he has heard anything. Would you like to come along?”

 

Changkyun blinks, looking surprised. Then a small smile breaks over his face, as fragile as the first fingers of dawn streaming through his window. He’s been up all night again. So has Changkyun, apparently.

 

“Yes,” he says. “Yes, I would.”

 

Kihyun nods. “Then it’s settled. Meet me here tomorrow.”

 

And with that decided, Changkyun scurries off, leaving him alone in his cold, empty office that smells of burnt coffee.

 

*

 

“Where are we going?”

 

Kihyun nods to the security man lurking outside what appears to be an ordinary office in one of Seoul’s business districts. “I’m meeting up with some contacts I know. This is a new venture of theirs but they’re smart. I expect they’ll do well.”

 

Changkyun’s brows are furrowed but he says no more, following Kihyun through to a minimalist reception area, all clean lines with a muted palette of powder blue and dusky pink. When he nods to the receptionist, who no doubt has been briefed that he’s coming, he sees the boy make a call and doesn’t have to wait long before a familiar face appears through a set of double doors, dressed in a sharp suit that makes him look taller than his short stature betrays, a feline smile on his face.

 

“Jihoon,” he says jovially, “you’re looking well.”

 

“You’re just trying to flatter me to get what you want,” says Jihoon but he leans in to hug him in greeting, a hand on his back.

 

“I don’t just flatter anyone, I’ll have you know,” he replies.

 

Jihoon rolls his eyes. They flicker to Changkyun with a curious tilt to his brows. Kihyun gestures to the door and they take the stairs up to a conference room. “This is Lim Changkyun, the only son of Hyungsoo.”

 

Jihoon’s eyebrows rise to his hairline. “An heir. But Hyunwoo –”

 

“Will still be leader. Which brings me to why we’re here.”

 

“We want to know who killed my father,” says Changkyun, voice hoarse.

 

Kihyun looks at him, briefly surprised he spoke at all, then back to Jihoon. “I’m here to ask you if you’ve heard anything and if you could keep your ear to the ground, just in case. I don’t want it getting out that we haven’t been able to find out who assassinated him in case every bastard out there thinks it's a good time to take advantage of our… fragile state right now.”

 

Jihoon nods, thinking. “I haven’t heard anything but the one to ask would probably be Soonyoung.”

 

“Soonyoung? As in _The_ Soonyoung?”

 

“Ah,” Jihoon grimaces. “Seungcheol and I have been expanding our little venture since we last spoke. There are very few people Soonyoung doesn’t know in this business, it seems. I’ll ask him what he knows and get back to you.”

 

Kihyun nods. “Thanks, Jihoon. I owe you one.”

 

Jihoon scoffs. “Remember Jooheon took care of that little problem we were having last year? Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

 

Kihyun smiles. “It’s been too long, hasn’t it? As soon as I get this all ironed out we’ll invite you boys to ours for a proper catch up.”

 

“I’m sure Seungcheol will be pleased to hear it."

 

They wrap up the meeting and then Kihyun and Changkyun depart from the office, leaving him to consider what to do next. There are more people to contact, of course, but he doesn’t want to be spotted calling in favours in case he rouses suspicion so he’s going to have to attempt as low a profile as possible. The driver pulls up to the street and he slides into the cool, air-conditioned car, soothing against the summer heat of Seoul. Beside him he hears Changkyun sigh.

 

“I didn’t know gangsters had friends.”

 

Kihyun snorts, looking up from his emails. “You won’t get very far in this world without a few friends, Changkyun.”

 

“Sorry, I forgot I don’t know Gangster 101.”

 

He stares at Changkyun, trying to work out from his stoic face if he actually just made a joke. “Brat,” he says, but he’s smiling.

 

If this adventure will get the boy to open up to him a little more Kihyun will call it a win. He doesn’t let himself dwell on why he wants it so much, for Changkyun to see him as more than just the demanding mobster.

 

*

 

Of all of them, Hyungwon is the last person Kihyun expects to fold to Changkyun’s charms. But there he finds them, lounging on the sofa of the manor in front of the TV, gaming consoles in their hands as violent shooting noises and explosions blare from the speakers. Despite how action-packed the game seems to be, neither of them appear to be bothered with actually moving, lethargically plucking at buttons and then Changkyun laughing when Hyungwon’s character dies.

 

“Hyung, you’re terrible at this!”

 

For anyone else it would be such a small thing but for Hyungwon; quiet, reserved Hyungwon who took years for Kihyun to win over and coax into his inner circle, this is monumental. Because Hyungwon merely nudges Changkyun and says, “You cheated,” playfully, like he isn’t fazed at all.

 

“I did not. I’m just better than you.”

 

Hyungwon huffs. “You wish you had all this.” He gestures to himself.

 

True enough, Kihyun has long envied Hyungwon’s long legs and model figure when he’s so much shorter than so many of them men around him. But height matters so little when taller men cower in his wake, so Kihyun has stopped concerning himself with it.

 

Hyungwon glances up suddenly, calm, as if he’s known Kihyun has been watching them all this time. The bubblegum pink hair is a little disconcerting on him. “What do you want?”

 

Kihyun rolls his eyes at the tone and settles down on the coffee table so he can face them. Changkyun looks a little less jumpy to see him but he’s still tenser than he was before, sitting up so that his back is straight against the sofa. “How soon can you have the first batch of the X Drop ready to be sold?”

 

Hyungwon glances at Changkyun, so quickly it’s easy to miss, but Kihyun just keeps looking at him. Somewhere between visiting Jihoon and seeing Changkyun smile he has decided he wants to keep him, so he figures he might as well get used to their shop talk.

 

“I’ll need another week at least. Maybe two.”

 

“Two, then.” This way he can set a timeline. Once the money starts coming in from it, they’ll be able to put the plan into action. It’ll be the perfect time to reveal Changkyun, to show the men the riches they’ll earn under Hyunwoo’s leadership, and get them back on even footing. Kihyun nods.

 

“I’ll get the network set up, get word into the streets. It’s about time we got back in business, boys.”

 

Hyungwon scoffs. “I was never out of business. I was merely taking a break.”

 

Kihyun laughs, watching Changkyun’s curious gaze flicker between them. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.

 

Of course, it’s only once he feels like things are starting to come together that everything goes to shit.

 

 

*

 

“Kihyun, Kihyun!” cries Minhyuk.

 

Kihyun blinks awake, blinded by the bright light shining in from the window. His neck aches when he lifts his head from the cradle of his hands and he realises that it’s yet another night he’s fallen asleep at his desk. There’s a line of drool from his mouth and he grimaces, wiping it away quickly. “What is it?” he asks wearily at the frantic Minhyuk, probably worrying a hole into his nice rug.

 

“They found out. The men found out about Changkyun.”

 

“Oh, fuck me,” he says, immediately awake. He gets up, joints clicking in protest, and rolls out his neck. “Take me to them. Time for some damage control.”

 

There’s a headache already building in his skull as he marches towards the scene of the crime. Through the crowd of squabbling men he spots Hyunwoo towering above them, Hoseok at his side with his arms crossed – a clear signal if ever there was one, not to fuck with either of them. But despite Kihyun’s shorter stature, the crowd parts for him with one look, until he’s standing with them, gazing levelly at the angry faces of the men. He holds up his palms to silence them and eventually the noise fades into a rumbling quiet.

 

“So, by now you have heard the news. Hyungsoo had a son.”

 

Almost immediately the rabble starts up again, shouts of, “Why didn’t you tell us?” and, “Where is he?” spat in his face.

 

Kihyun sighs. He needs three painkillers and a stiff drink to quell the buzzing in his skull. “Need I remind you all what happened to Hyungsoo?”

 

They fall silent, startled by the rage he rarely shows in his voice. “Hyungsoo is dead, no one knows who had the fucking audacity to do it, and as far as I can tell, there could be a traitor amongst us who decided the money was worth screwing us all over. Of course I couldn’t tell you he had an heir, otherwise we would be putting everything at risk.”

 

There’s a few titters at the back but most of them look suitably chastised. Kihyun opens his mouth to say more, but another voice, deep and gravelly, interrupts him. “I told him to keep quiet until we found out who killed my father.”

 

Suddenly all eyes are on the figure clad entirely in black who saunters into their circle with an aura that has them spellbound, dark gaze flicking around every face with an impassiveness that makes Changkyun look every bit the mob heir he is. Then his gaze pauses on Kihyun, collected, confident; smouldering. Kihyun feels himself shiver.

 

“I didn’t come here to take my father’s place,” Changkyun says to some disappointed grunts and murmured comments. “I came here to get revenge for the fucker who killed my father. Who killed your leader. And the man I trust to do that job is over there.” His gaze flickers to Hyunwoo, standing tall amongst the crowd.

 

“So,” he says calmly, prowling calmly around the circle like he knows no one can dare look away from him now, looking like a predator ready to strike, completely different to the timid kid Kihyun has come to know, “are you willing to help us avenge his death?”

 

It starts as a murmur that grows louder and louder, until it’s a cacophony of agreement. Men are shouting, pumping their fists. Yelling Changkyun’s name, yelling Hyunwoo’s, even Kihyun’s. How is it that this slip of a boy has turned the tide of opinion so easily, when even Kihyun for all his experience at Hyungsoo’s side, struggled to get them to listen? In the ensuing furore his eyes find Changkyun’s again and finds himself mirroring the small smile on his lips.

 

God. His eyes are blazing, still burning holes into Kihyun. He feels warm all over, and the feeling spreads through him, as heady as liquor. Changkyun’s surprising competency is oddly arousing and he’s not sure what that says about his libido but, fuck it all, he doesn’t really care. All Kihyun cares about is his family – about securing their place in this ugly world – and he thinks the parameters of that term might just be expanding.

 

Their smiles both grow at the same time.

 

*

 

There are a few contacts left in Kihyun’s arsenal but he’s been reluctant to call on this one because it will mean drawing a line. There’s a war brewing out there, between the old money of Seoul, and the new ambitious blood from just about anywhere else, turning neighbourhoods into battlefields and long-time allies into bitter enemies. While they’re still in their weakened state he hasn’t wanted to hedge his bets, still unsure how the ensuing bloodbath will play out when the cards are finally put down on the table, but sometimes loyalty has to come before reason. As soon as he gets spotted he has as well as thrown his lot in the ring and it could mean inviting all sorts of trouble for the boys. But Kihyun is ready for it.

 

The bar is a seedy dive of a place, neon lights flickering, but it’s on neutral territory and that’s the most important thing. He enters to a dimly lit room with a few billiards tables and the stench of vomit and alcohol mixed together. Wrinkling his nose, he takes a seat at the bar and orders two drinks, hesitant to place his hands anywhere near the horrible surface of the counter.

 

“The hair is a bit much, don’t you think?” comes a familiar rasp.

 

Kihyun lurches, peering up at a face he knows well. Once upon a time, he and Min Yoongi met as drug runners for another gang that had been on the rise some years ago, until being on the wrong side of a bloody vengeance spiral had driven them underground to find new enterprises. These days Yoongi plays a similar role to Kihyun but under the reign of Kim Namjoon, the leader of Bangtan, a gang with a rise so meteoric they’re all anyone seems to talk about these days, as if they’re almost larger than life.

 

Kihyun stands, grinning as he pulls Yoongi into a hug, and says, “I remember when your hair was green, you hypocrite.”

 

“Went blond for a while, too,” says Yoongi as he sits, taking the drink Kihyun remembers he used to like. “But holy fuck did it itch so it’s staying black now.”

 

“Very menacing.”

 

Yoongi snorts. “How’s the coup going?”

 

“It’s hardly a coup. Although, Hyungsoo having a son was unexpected.”

 

“Oh, yeah? Knew the old bastard had it in him,” he grins. “So, the son? You need me to off him? Don’t you have Jooheon for that?”

 

“Please, I could do it myself. But, no, Changkyun was… not what I thought he was going to be but he’s not the problem.”

 

“Hm.” Yoongi scans his face, too knowing even after all this time. “So what is the problem?”

 

Kihyun sighs. “Hyungsoo’s killer. I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to find out who did it but they keep eluding me. So I’m calling in every favour owed to try and find the guy.”

 

Yoongi nods, fiddling with his earring. “Haven’t heard anything but I can do some digging. Our Taehyung knows just about every secret Seoul has. He’s bound to have a connection somewhere.”

 

Kihyun sighs, slumping over on his hands. “Thanks, Yoongi. Really.”

 

“You doing alright? You’re looking a little rough.”

 

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” he lies, taking a swig of his drink. “Just fine.”

 

But Yoongi knows him too well. A few rounds later and they’re both merry, talking louder than necessary as they reminisce on old times, but no one else cares because they’re all equally drunk or worse in a shithole like this one.

 

“…That was not my fault! The fucker had it out for me.”

 

“And then you showed up on my doorstep with about five bullets in you and said, ‘Kihyun, I think I’m in love”.”

 

Yoongi snorts, swaying in his stool. “In my defence I had lost a lot of blood.”

 

Kihyun sniggers, leaning into his shoulder to keep himself steady. “Only you would break your tsundere streak because you’d nearly been gunned down in the street. And for a cute kid like that.”

 

“Kid?” he scoffs. “At least I’m not a cradle robber.”

 

“Excuse me?” he hiccups, less demanding than he’d like to be when he’s still holding back giggles.

 

“Poor Hyungsoo would be spinning in his grave if he knew you wanted to defile his son.”

 

“Min. Yoongi. I. Do. Not.”

 

“Sure,” he says, patting Kihyun on the back, “keep telling yourself that, buddy.”

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Sure you do.”

 

A night cap later and they’re staggering out into the rain-slick streets of Seoul, neon lights reflecting in the puddles that splash beneath their boots. A handsome man waits by a nice car, looking softly judging, like he’s trying hard to be reproachful but can’t quite manage it when he sees how pathetic they are, clinging to one another to keep each other upright.

 

“I should have known this would happen if it was you two,” he says.

 

Yoongi tries to hug him but the man dodges his reaching hands and shoves him into the back seat. His eyes flicker back to Kihyun and with a sigh, he jerks his thumb to the car. “Come on, I’ll give you a lift.”

 

But Kihyun shakes his head. Drunk as he is, he knows he’s already crossed lines by being seen with Yoongi. If he let Kim Seokjin drive him home he’d be as well as signing off Goemul as Bangtan’s, and that’s not something he’s quite ready to do yet. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he says, “I’ll walk home, hyung. You get him home safe.”

 

“It’s your funeral,” Jin shouts back as he walks off.

 

Kihyun holds up the back of his hand in a wave. It is stupid; hazy and giddy from the alcohol, stumbling around foreign territory on his own. But he needs the chance to clear his head. To find perspective. To work out what all this means for the Geomul’s future and his place in that. Maybe Changkyun can be a part of that and maybe he can’t. Kihyun supposes there’s only one way to find out.

 

*

 

He gets used to it. Seeing Changkyun jump onto Jooheon’s bike with Sojung’s laughter chasing after them, the two of them stupid enough to think they can outrun Sojung’s biker gang, racing through the streets of Seoul like they’re dying to get hauled in by the police. He gets used to Changkyun draped across the sofa, head in Minhyuk’s lap as Minhyuk hums and combs through his black locks. He gets used to Changkyun practising martial arts with Hyunwoo in the gym, their grunts echoing in the silence because neither of them are big talkers. He gets used to Hyungwon smiling when Changkyun walks in the room, instead of his usual lethargic apathy, and Hoseok lending him clothes a little too big for his scrawny frame but that somehow still suit him.

 

Kihyun gets used to Changkyun gradually easing his way into the family.

 

He gets used to Changkyun ‘helping’ him cook dinner the way Kihyun insists on doing at least once a week for all the members, helping himself to slices of beef as he tries to stir it into the vegetables. He _tsks_ and whacks his hand with his spatula but always smiles, laughing and pointing at Changkyun when he inevitably stumbles and has to catch himself on the counter, eyes sheepish and cheeks pink. He gets used to Changkyun opening up to him; to increasingly cheekier comments, about his hair, his laugh, his height. But it doesn’t bother him because it only means that he feels comfortable around him now that they can laugh and joke around.

 

Mostly he gets used to a table of seven instead of six, of them all doting on the boy none of them wanted but all of them needed. He’s become a focal point, someone they all rally around, always ensuring he is taken care of. And as Kihyun meets Changkyun’s eyes across the table and catches a shy smile before he looks away, he thinks this is the way they were meant to be.

 

Hyungsoo might have been the one to bring their odd cluster of misfits together, recognising the talents hidden in their idiosyncrasies and broken edges, but Changkyun is like the glue, sealing them together as a unit; a team.

 

As a family.

 

*

 

Gradually it feels like things are coming into line, even with the echoing consequences of Changkyun’s existence being revealed. The men start listening to Hyunwoo, coming to him with their problems like he was their choice for successor all along, and Kihyun sits back and watches from his rightful place in the shadows, satisfied. Like all things, the situation is settled by the constant of time. There’s nothing like time to fade out the old memories, until one becomes accustomed to a new way of doing things and forgets about the old way altogether. Kihyun is determined to bring the Goemul into a new, prosperous future, and the sooner their old-fashioned fumbling under Hyungsoo is forgotten the better.

 

The X Drop is nearly ready for launch and Kihyun has been feeding the updates through his network to generate interest so that when it’s all ready to go they’ll be able to get it onto the streets as quick as possible. All in all, it seems like things are finally starting to turn around. For a little while, he thinks maybe they’ve rode out the wave of Hyungsoo’s death and are ready to pick up back up where they left off. That Goemul is ready to rise from the ashes like a phoenix.

 

Of course, that’s exactly when it all goes to hell in a hand basket once again.

 

It starts with a dinner to celebrate Hyungwon finally giving up control of his baby and accepting it as a finished product. The first batch of the drug has been tested and deemed acceptable, Kihyun already preparing it to be shipped out, the predicted profits enough to make him salivate. It’s a big win for them and as much as he wants to keep working until everything is secure, he accepts that when Hoseok has to nudge him awake from the uncomfortable position where he’s fallen asleep over his desk yet again that a night away will do them all good.

 

“To Hyungwon,” cheers Minhyuk, lifting his glass, “we’re going to be rich!”

 

Hyungwon doesn’t bother to join in as the rest of them clink their glasses together, simply sipping at his wine with a self-satisfied smirk.

 

“To Hyunwoo, the new leader of the Goemul,” says Hoseok. They’re in a restaurant in their own territory, a place that has been loyal to their gang for generations, so they don’t have to watch their words.

 

Hyunwoo shakes his head shyly. “To Kihyun. Without his hard work this would all have fallen apart.”

 

Kihyun rolls his eyes but basks in the praise anyway because he’s never been able to resist. “It’s not all over yet. We still have a killer to find. But I think we should be thanking Changkyun, for supporting our cause here. He stepped up when we needed him.”

 

Changkyun blinks, glancing around to look at each of them in turn as they all nod to confirm Kihyun’s words. The candlelight from the table dances in his eyes, bathing his face in a warm glow that illuminates the slope of his brow, the long nose and soft lips. A slow smile spreads across his face even as he shrinks into himself, shaking his head. “I never thought that I could be happy here but… I have been. So, thank you all. Really.” His voice trembles with emotion, fingers playing with the stem of his wineglass.

 

“To the seven of us!” shouts Jooheon, lifting his beer.

 

It’s echoed around the table, chased by shots and drinks until they’re all warm with the alcohol and good food. Kihyun thinks it has been a good idea to get them out for a bit, to wind down after all the tension and uncertainty in the wake of their old leader’s death. Especially for Hyunwoo, smiling and content when not carrying around the burden of a legacy he feels he isn’t ready for. But he will be. They all will be, because Kihyun is there to make sure they all make it out.

 

It’s as they’re winding down it happens. Conversation quietens into drowsy chatter as the staff start to move around cleaning tables and stacking chairs. Kihyun comes back from paying the bill when the first shot shatters Hyungwon’s wine glass, liquid splashing out across the tablecloth and soaking into the white fabric like a bloodstain. The boom reverberates around the room, all seven trained into instant action.

 

“Get down!” yells Hoseok as more shots fire, each bang and pop deafening, the room filling with smoke.

 

In the chaos Kihyun finds Changkyun’s hand and tugs him along. There’s a protocol for these sorts of situations, where the members will split up into pairs or units so that if the worst should happen they will not lose all of them in one fell swoop. Through the smoke he sees Hoseok firing off a round of return fire and he tugs on his jacket. Covering their exit with gunfire, Hoseok follows behind them until they slip out the back. The staff all seem to be gone and Kihyun can only hope their enemy does not gun them down in the crossfire. But he has no time to worry about them when they still have themselves to take care of.

 

Once they’re outside Kihyun smashes the window to a car on the street and uses it to unlock the door, he and Changkyun bailing inside. He makes to look for Hoseok when Changkyun surprises him by ducking beneath the car and fiddling with the wiring.

 

“You’re hot wiring it?”

 

Changkyun glances at him, remarkably calm for a civilian in this kind of situation. “Yeah?”

 

“Didn’t think you had it in you.”

 

“I’m more skilled than you think.”

 

“Oh, yeah?” he snorts, forgetting the gunmen briefly.

 

The car rumbles to life beneath them and Changkyun sits up, slapping his palm against the wheel. “Oh, yeah, baby,” he says in English, grinning at Kihyun.

 

Then Hoseok dives into the back seat and yells, “Drive!”

 

A lucky shot pierces the back window, glass raining down on Hoseok’s head as Kihyun checks behind him. “You alright?”

 

“Where to?” Changkyun yells, eyes wide as he swerves around a corner, horns tooting him for running a red light.

 

“There’s a hotel on neutral territory the other side of town. I know someone who can sneak us in without drawing attention. That’s our best bet for lying low.” Hoseok directs Changkyun from between their seats, still breathing hard from exertion.

 

They abandon the car some streets away from the hotel, making the last portion of the journey on foot, constantly looking behind themselves. Hoseok’s contact gets them into a room on the third floor and Kihyun is quick to draw all the curtains, cocooning them in the gloom of a shitty one bedroom hotel room. After a quick game plan with Hoseok he leaves the man to contact Minhyuk and the others on a spare mobile the two of them carry for situations just like these. Kihyun enters the bedroom, swathed in darkness from the drawn blinds, Changkyun a faint shape hunched on the bed.

 

He turns on the light. “Hey,” he says, as softly as he can manage. “You alright?”

 

Now that the adrenaline has passed Changkyun sits quietly, staring at the wall. “I don’t think it really became real until now, you know? My father’s life… All of this. This is how he died, isn’t it?”

 

Kihyun sinks to his knees so he can look into Changkyun’s eyes. He feels the boy's ache, heart beating traitorously in his chest as he uncurls Changkyun's clenched fists and rubs circles into them soothingly. Guilt plagues him for being the one to drag him into the madness that is this life but the selfish part of him can’t regret it. He wants to do more to comfort him; to find the perfect words that Hoseok or Minhyuk would find in this situation, to make him feel better. He wants to hold him tight, press him down onto the bed, open him up nice and slow until he’s a writhing tangle of feeling and the shock of today is wiped from his mind. But he’s already done enough. So he pulls back and stands up, drawing a hand through his hair.

 

“It’s fading,” Changkyun rasps suddenly, breaking the growing silence.

 

Kihyun glances at him.

 

“Your hair,” he points out. “It’s kind of pink now.”

 

He smiles at that, running a hand through his locks. “It’s not in the best state. Think I dyed it too much.”

 

“It suits you.”

 

Kihyun snorts, meeting his gaze. Things are tense but even so, this feels like a moment. Of what he kind, he can’t really tell, but it’s enough to make anticipation curl in his gut. Still, the city doesn’t sleep and neither does Kihyun when there’s work to be done.

 

“You should get some rest. It’s going to be a long night waiting this out.”

 

“You’re not going to sleep?”

 

“Not yet. But at least one of us should. It’s not good for your health to stay up all night.”

 

Changkyun rolls his eyes. “Yes, _eomma._ ” But he begins to strip out of his shirt, keeping his gaze on Kihyun as he does so.

 

Cheeks heating, he averts his eyes. “I should talk to Hoseok.” He exits the room, chased by the deep vibration of Chankyun’s laughter.

 

Hoseok is pacing a hole in the sitting room carpet. “They’re all okay. Jooheon took out the last of the gunmen still alive after I left.”

 

“Then why do you look so concerned?”

 

“We still don’t know who was behind this. It’s not just Hyungsoo. They went after Changkyun, too.”

 

Kihyun spares a glance for the closed door behind them, lowering his tone. “Changkyun?”

 

Hoseok nods. “They weren’t going after Hyunwoo. It seems they know Changkyun’s the heir.”

 

“And they think we’re just waiting until he’s ready to take his place.”

 

“Seems like it.”

 

Kihyun heaves a sigh and leans against the sofa. “This is giving me a headache. Fuck. I thought maybe things were calming down.”

 

Hoseok crosses his arms and raises his brows. “Did you really? Were all those nights falling asleep at your desk because you thought we had nothing to worry about?”

 

He glares at him but Hoseok remains unfazed. “I’m going to nail this bastard’s balls to the wall when I find them. Jooheon can sit this one out. I’m going to take my sweet time when I find whoever’s behind this.” He cracks his neck and Hoseok looks a little concerned.

 

“Let’s take a backseat on the torture for now, hm? We should get some rest while we can.”

 

“Let me guess, you’re taking first watch?”

 

“You’re second-in-command here, Kihyun. The Goemul needs you alive.”

 

Kihyun’s tense posture sags, expression softening. “You’re not exactly expendable, you know.”

 

Hoseok snorts. “Off to bed with you. Well, the couch, I guess.”

 

“Oh, the glamours of this job.”

 

They both share a laugh. Kihyun feels all the better for it, knowing that he has surrounded himself with the best kind of men. They can weather this. They can weather it if they do it together. Besides, he finds he kind of wants to make this kingdom of theirs a better place than it has been, now that he has Changkyun to show it off to. Wants to offer him security and stability and family, and he can only do that if they’re not permanently watching their backs.

 

*

 

There are six men in total, three killed by Hoseok, and three by Jooheon. It takes a while to track down their identities but eventually Hoseok traces their tattoos to a Chinese triad operating out of Shanghai. It’s the most baffling clue yet, because as far as he knows plenty of the jopok are connected to triads, but none that have been directly involved in feuds with the Goemul in recent years.

 

“What do you think it means?” Hoseok asks, examining the lifeless bodies once the coroner they bribed has left them to discuss the matter.

 

Kihyun shakes his head. “It means we have more digging to do.” In his head, he thinks about how Seoul is changing, the rules of the game expanding every time he turns his head. It’s impossible to keep up with it all.

 

God only knows what they’ve just stumbled into.

 

*

 

It’s raining when the limo pulls up outside the manor. Kihyun watches from the window as a woman dressed all in black slides out, sweeping back her long hair as she glances up at his window. He knows she can’t see him but a chill goes through him all the same, feeling those eyes upon his. Frantically cleaning his office as thoroughly as he can, he prepares for the telltale clack of heels against the floor outside, breathless with the anticipation.

 

It comes like clockwork; a staccato rhythm he hasn’t heard in some time but takes him back to the time when she used to own these halls, pencil thin heels and a trail of expensive perfume.

 

“Kihyun!” exclaims Soyou, eyes bright as she bustles into his office. Her familiar smirk curves at her lips. “I knew I’d find you holed up in here.” She glances around with a look of disgust.

 

He stands to greet Hyungsoo’s widow, a woman so far his superior in beauty and intellect that he wonders how she managed to hold on until he died. Then again, she’s certainly enjoying the spoils now, wearing a figure-hugging dress and diamonds sparkling around her wrists.

 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

Soyou hugs him, perfume overpowering him for a moment, before she pulls back and scans his face. “You really have to ask? Hyungsoo had a son and you knew and you didn’t tell me!”

 

“He’s obviously too old to be yours.”

 

She smacks him in the arm. “I know that! But still, you could have said something. Imagine me having to hear it from Hyunwoo. _Hyunwoo_ , who never tells me anything.”

 

Kihyun grimaces. “Things have been a little hectic around here, in case you haven’t heard.”

 

She rolls her eyes. “What are a few assassination attempts compared to Hyungsoo having an actual son? I’m surprised you’re so calm.”

 

“I wasn’t, believe me,” he says, turning to watch the rain patter against the window. “But he’s not like him at all. Not interested in the position, for one.”

 

“Oh? You’ve been talking to him, then?”

 

“I’m not letting you anywhere near him.”

 

She mimics affront, a hand over her heart. “What are you trying to say?”

 

“You’d eat him alive.”

 

“That’s a little incestuous, don’t you think?” Soyou wrinkles her nose. “But I have to wonder why you’re against it.” Her eyes light up, scanning over him in a way he resolutely does not like.

 

A knock on the door halts the conversation and Kihyun nearly groans at his bad luck as Changkyun’s head pokes through the door. He spots Soyou and glances between them uncertainly, looking like he wants to run, when Soyou zeroes in on him and pulls him into the room. “Changkyunnie,” she says, “just look at you.”

 

“Uh, hello?” Changkyun is still looking to Kihyun.

 

“He looks so much like him,” she says in wonder.

 

Kihyun just sighs. “Changkyun, this is Soyou. Soyou, you’ve already met Hyungsoo’s son.”

 

Changkyun’s eyes are wide like headlamps as he stares at her, speechless. “You’re – you’re…”

 

Soyou puts a hand over her heart. “I’m certainly used to having this reaction with men.” She trills a laugh. “Forgive me, this isn’t quite the same, is it? It’s so strange to meet you, I must admit. How are you doing, sweetheart?”

 

“I – I’m sorry.”

 

“For what?”

 

“My father. You know, your husband.” Changkyun scratches his head, clearly struggling. “Sorry he died and you didn’t know that he had – well, me.”

 

“Oh, no, no. I’m not concerned about all that.” She turns to Kihyun. “I’m just here for what’s mine.”

 

Sighing, he rattles around his drawer and produces a car key, slapping it into her palm. “I’ll show you where it is. Come on,” he says, prodding her between the shoulder blades to get her to move.

 

“But I wanted to talk to Changkyun.”

 

“Leave him alone,” he grumbles, mouthing an apology to the lost looking boy standing in the middle of his office like he’s just seen a ghost. “He’s new to all this. It’s been hard for him.”

 

“You like him.”

 

“What? No. Of course not,” he sputters. “What are you talking about?”

 

Soyou arches a finely pencilled brow. “Please. I can see how soft you are for him. God, Hyungsoo would be turning in his grave.” This thought makes her laugh. “Fuck that old bastard.”

 

“Where will you go once you take his car?”

 

He’s grateful when she accepts his topic change. “I don’t know yet. There’s so many options. I’m feeling a nice holiday coming on. Some sun and sea, you know?”

 

“I really don’t.”

 

They reach the garage where Hyungsoo’s prized sports car is meticulously kept under cover, shined to such perfection he can see every scar and line on his face in the reflection of the red paint. Kihyun gestures and Soyou stares in appreciation, a small smile on her painted lips.

 

“You boys will survive this.”

 

He stares at her.

 

Soyou waves her hand. “I knew Hyungsoo was a fool. But you, Kihyun. I saw that you were the driving force behind all of this. So whatever trouble you’re in, as long as you keep your head everything will be fine.”

 

Kihyun snorts. “I didn’t come this far to give up now. I started from nothing, just like you.”

 

“Now look at us, hm?” She waggles her brows as she opens the door and slides in, pulling on some shades as she leans out of the window. “See you soon.”

 

Then she blows him a kiss and drives off, engine roaring as it tears out into the street. Kihyun watches with a wistful sense of longing. Freedom like that seems so far away when he’s chained himself to this place; to the Geomul. But he thinks of his family and it doesn’t feel so bad. Because Kihyun has built this kingdom up from the ground with their help and one day soon they will all see the fruits of their labour bloom. He’ll make sure of that.

 

*

 

“I want to be sworn in.”

 

Kihyun nearly spits out his coffee. “You want to want now?”

 

More and more Changkyun has been popping into his office to just play games on his phone while Kihyun works. The first time was a bit awkward, Kihyun constantly stealing looks at Changkyun the whole time and trying to second-guess his motives as his skin prickles with the knowledge he’s not alone, but now he’s got used to the feeling, even enjoying the quiet companionship. Sometimes they have conversations, usually light and teasing but with something more meaningful between the lines. This is the first time Changkyun has come straight out with something so serious and he doesn’t know how to react. His face is completely stoic; he means it.

 

“Do you even know what you’re asking?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You’ll be one of the Goemul forever. You’ll be expected to do unsavoury things.”

 

“I get that.”

 

“I don’t understand. You got out, Changkyun. You had a normal life.”

 

“I’m not a child,” he snaps, and Kihyun is taken aback. It’s the first time he’s ever lost his temper. “I never had a normal life. My dad was a gangster. Now both my parents are dead. This is the only place I’ve ever felt… normal. Like I have people who maybe care if I’m still alive.” His voice trails off to a mumble, gaze flicking downwards. Kihyun feels a pang of sympathy.

 

“Besides, you offered, didn’t you? You said I could stay if I worked hard. I want a family, Kihyun. I want this. I want to be able to protect – all of us.”

 

And Kihyun can’t help but soften under his imploring gaze; the way his voice trembles with desperation. “You’re sure about this?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Even if you could die? There are people who want to mess with us. They killed your father and they tried to kill you.”

 

Changkyun nods, licks his lips, and Kihyun follows the movement. “I know. I know it’s dangerous. But, I think maybe I’ve come to like a little danger.” His voice turns low, hushed as a whisper, and it sends a thrill through him.

 

Kihyun scans him for another long moment before he finally concedes with a nod. “Fine. If you’re sure.”

 

“I am.”

 

Minhyuk is delighted to arrange the ceremony, getting more into it than is really necessary. It’s a simply ceremony, or it’s supposed to be, a small table with soju in the middle, the rest of them gathered around as Hyunwoo and Changkyun kneel across from one another. Words are said, drinks are passed over, and then Changkyun takes one quick gulp, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand.

 

“I’m going to be better than my father was,” he says with such severity Kihyun forgets how young he is. His gaze meets each of them in turn before finally settling on him, and Kihyun swallows, unable to tear his eyes away. “I’m going to fight for us.”

 

Then Minhyuk starts clapping, the others joining in. Soon they’re piled on top of him, slapping him on the back and cheering, passing out drinks and turning up the music. There’s no real way to introduce someone to their world than with alcohol and a good party, so party they do. After all that’s happened it helps to release the pent up tension, the fear and anger. Hoseok spins Minhyuk, who collides into Hyunwoo, and they all giggle as they fall on top of one another. Drained from worrying himself into a bout of recent insomnia, Kihyun sits off to the side and watches, sipping beer that tastes more like piss and trying not to grind his teeth.

 

“Aren’t you going to celebrate, hyung?” says Changkyun, eyes twinkling as he peers down at him.

 

“Oh? What are we celebrating?”

 

Changkyun pouts, pretending to be upset. “I’ll just go dance with Hyungwon then. At least he’s tall –”

 

Yoongi’s half-crazed, bloodstained face is on his mind as he grabs Changkyun’s arm and hauls him close, a hand going to his waist. Kihyun smirks at the widening of eyes and stumbling of feet in surprise, the two of them pressing even closer until there’s barely a gap between their bodies. He’d always thought that this job would make any kind of meaningful relationship impossible. But here he is, with family he would give his life for if it meant they could be happy. What difference does it make, if when he looks at Changkyun he feels the fluttering of attraction, feels the thrill in the pit of his stomach when Changkyun’s eyes fall to his lips and then rise back up again, black as pitch? They’re all shades of the same feeling, in the end.

 

“You’re one of us now,” he says, spinning Changkyun around. “No taking it back.”

 

Changkyun merely grins. “Now you’re stuck with me forever.”

 

“Don’t remind me,” he groans, feeling the warmth build between them. “Now I’ve got another brat to feed.”

 

“Mm. But you love it, don’t you? You pretend to be all grouchy and cold but you love taking care of people.”

 

Kihyun grimaces. “I think you must have me confused with someone else.”

 

Changkyun bursts into laughter, drawing five curious pairs of eyes to them twirling in the middle of the room. Wolf-whistles and cheers erupt and Kihyun throws them all a rude gesture, rolling his eyes at Minhyuk’s kissy faces.

 

“Say, hyung, should we get out of here?”

 

Kihyun tilts his head, pretending to think it over. “Lim Changkyun, are you propositioning me?”

 

“Ew, why would I hit on an old man like you?”

 

“You brat!” he cuffs him on the head and Changkyun laughs, darting out of his grasp. Kihyun ends up chasing him out of the room and down the corridor, their voices echoing through the manor as their footsteps thud in unison. “Just wait til I get my revenge!”

 

“You’ll have to catch me first, old man!”

 

Changkyun crashes into his room – the one he’d been given temporarily as a spare opposite Jooheon’s. With nowhere to go he turns just as Kihyun pounces on him and they both go crashing onto the bed. “Who’s the old man now?” he breathes, panting with exertion.

 

But Changkyun isn’t laughing. He’s staring up at him with an expression akin to wonder and it makes Kihyun squirm in all the wrong ways. He doesn’t deserve that – not from someone good like Changkyun. Someone who will only be soured by the cruelties of this world and come to resent him for dragging him down into these dark depths. Kihyun sits up, dropping his face into his hand. He’s always been selfish but this has to be a new low.

 

“Kihyun?” says Changkyun, tentative and low. “What is it?”

 

“I don’t want you to regret this.”

 

“I don’t.”

 

“Not now, maybe. But down the line… If we make it out of this war alive, Changkyun, you might not like who you become at the end.”

 

A hand falls onto his shoulder, squeezing gently. “Is that how you feel?”

 

“Yes? No. I don’t know.” He sighs, not daring to turn around and meet his gaze. “It’s not that I regret who I’ve had to become, because I chose this path, it’s just…”

 

“You don’t want me to regret you.” That does get him to turn, breathless at the serene expression on Changkyun’s face. “You don’t want me to regret choosing you. But I won’t, because I’ve seen how you fight for them. For us. Staying up all night, calculating every step. Always making sure that they’re taken care of. But who’s taking care of you, huh?” The hand runs up his neck, cupping his cheek, and try as he might he can’t resist leaning into it. To the warmth of skin on skin.

 

“Let me take care of you, too.”

 

Kihyun’s chest aches with want for this boy. This soft, funny, charismatic, strange boy who wandered into his life and settled there as if there’s always been a space at their table of six waiting for a seventh. Perhaps meeting Hyungsoo had been his destiny all those years ago, for he’s now forever tied to this family who have turned his world upside down again and again. Changkyun tilts his head until their foreheads are pressed together and he feels the warm, fragile puffs of breath against his face, squeezing his eyes shut.

 

For once Kihyun doesn’t want to think. He just wants to feel. Leaning forward, he presses his lips to Changkyun’s, starting out as a chaste caress. But then Changkyun opens his mouth, licking into his, and then he’s grabbing at black locks to tug him closer, breaths mingling as one.

 

Stripping him of his shirt, Changkyun runs his hands down the plane of his chest and then shoves him until he’s sprawled out on his back on the bed, soft cotton beneath him. His eyes remain on Changkyun’s the whole time, burning a hole through him, as he kisses his way down Kihyun’s navel until he reaches his belly button, shivers running through him and muscles tensing in anticipation. Dark eyes flick up, a silent question, and he presses a palm to Changkyun’s cheek in response.

 

Then he hears the _plink_ of the metal buckle and the rustle of his belt falling onto the floor as Changkyun tugs down his jeans. There’s a moment where he just stares up into his eyes and the moment feels like it stretches out forever, so tense he doesn’t realise he’s holding his breath until Changkyun kisses his thigh and he exhales in a hiss. Heat is quickly racing southward, Changkyun smirking at him before he licks a stripe up his cock.

 

Kihyun swears, grip tightening on his hair. “Stop teasing, you brat.”

 

“Oh?” he says, raising his head, “should I stop, hyung?”

 

Kihyun groans and gently shoves him back down. Changkyun’s laughter vibrates through him as his mouth closes over the head of his cock and sucks, Kihyun bucking suddenly at the surge of pleasure coursing through him, sharp and electric. Apparently Hyungsoo’s shy little boy has experience because he gives head like a pro, swallowing him down until his lips meet the fist wrapped around the base, before pulling back and eyeing him coyly. Teasing. _God._ Kihyun feels like he’s about to combust.

 

And he knows it too from the way he’s looking at Kihyun, testing how much he can take. Every time he feels like he’s close to the edge Changkyun pulls off, hot breaths on his flushed cock torturous. “What are trying to do to me?” he groans, hips rising in reflex, desperate for friction.

 

“The night’s still young, hyung, and you’re getting a bit too old for more than one round.”

 

Kihyun’s eyes fly open, grabbing hold of him and flipping them until he’s pressing Changkyun down into the mattress between his thighs, pinning his hands above him. “When did you get so mouthy, huh? You used to be scared of me.”

 

“I realised that you’re about as scary as a hamster.” Changkyun grinds up into him and he chokes off as a flare of heat coils tight inside him. “Come on, fuck me.”

 

Reaching for the night stand, he’s unsurprised to find a bottle of lube rattling around the top drawer. He raises a brow. “Been thinking of this, have you?”

 

“Every night.”

 

Kihyun huffs, uncapping the lube. Changkyun’s eyes flare with heat. He licks lips and enjoys the sight of Changkyun swallowing, eyes black and burning.

 

“Alright, Changkyunnie. I’ll show you what an old man can do.” 

 

Needless to say, neither of them get much sleep that night.

 

*

 

It’s the buzzing of his phone that wakes Kihyun up, muscles sore from the night before. His eyes flicker, taking a moment to remember why he’s not in his own room. Then he notices the dark head peeking out from the tangle of sheets and pauses, watching as Changkyun rolls over in his sleep, face soft in slumber. Light from the thin curtains spills across his brow, lashes golden in the warm glow of sunrise. It’s a sight that makes his heart warm, something he never really considered he could have. His phone buzzing again is the sound that finally tears him away from this one perfect moment of sanctuary, sighing as he rips his gaze away.

 

There are two unread messages, both from unknown numbers. The first is a fuzzy picture of a figure and when he zooms in his stomach lurches because he recognises the face. _Holding you to drinks. Soonyoung is riding my ass because he’s friends with Jooheon. - JH_

 

Kihyun snorts. “Who isn’t Jooheon friends with?”

 

He opens up the second one. _TH heard from grapevine your man is DKS._ It’s not signed but he knows this kind of brevity only comes from Yoongi. Texting off a thanks and a tentative date for drinks with Jihoon, he sits back and rubs at his temple. If the information is accurate – and he doesn’t think Yoongi and Jihoon can both be wrong – then he’s just opened up a can of worms that have turned out to be ten feet anacondas.

 

He sighs and swings out of bed, picking up the scattered remains of his clothes and the memories that come with them, skin on skin, lips on lips, and Changkyun under the silvery glow of the moon, eyes half-lidded with pleasure as he’d gasped his name.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Kihyun glances back at Changkyun peeking out from under the covers. “I have to go sort out a few things. Sleep. You had a long night.”

 

“Mm. Old man’s got a few tricks,” he mumbles drowsily.

 

“You know it,” he says with a wink and Changkyun mimes gagging.

 

Kihyun shuts the door gently, his smile fading. Unfortunately play time is over. He cracks his neck, preparing to rally the troops to draw up the battle plans. They have their culprit, the enemy to rally round. This is exactly what they need to show the remaining doubters that he and Hyunwoo can take the Geomul into the new era. And he's ready to take his time, willing to unravel their enemy until the seven of them emerge triumphant at the very top, the kings of their booming little corner of Seoul.

 

Now is the time for war.

 

*

 

“Pull over here,” he tells his driver, uncaring of the rain pelting the window. He slips out of the slick black sedan and puts up his umbrella, fat drops pattering off the fabric above as he makes the walk through the various gravestones to the one he seeks, tucked away from the others by an old oak tree, marked by a simple white marble stone.

 

“Hey,” he says casually, placing down the flowers he has brought. Pink, just to make him squirm in his grave. “I just wanted to let you know that Hyunwoo and I are are doing well. We found your killer and we’re going to avenge you.”

 

He looks to the murky grey sky and huffs a laugh. “It’ll start a war, you know. But you’d probably like that, wouldn’t you?”

 

The rain is getting heavier, lashing off the ground. Down by the entrance, his driver waits by the gate. “You probably would have preferred I side with the Exo Group. More official. Old money. But I’m thinking now we’ll be aligning ourselves with Bangtan, no matter how risky you thought they were. See, Namjoon’s pretty smart. He’s not stupid enough to send his pet killer after other people’s leaders.”

 

It’s not really Do Kyungsoo that Kihyun wants revenge from. Kyungsoo is just a gun for hire, aligned with the Exo Group; both a corporate giant in the legitimate world, and a shark in Seoul’s underbelly. No, the real man he wants to hurt is the mysterious leader Suho. Kihyun isn’t dumb or guided by baseless emotions; he knows he can’t get anywhere close to a man who’s managed to hide his identity for so long. But he can make the group suffer where it’ll hurt them most, starting with overshadowing their signature drug Kokobop with Hyungwon's new X Drop.

 

From there, well, he’ll see where they go from there. He’s got Yoongi to keep him in the loop.

 

“Oh, and by the way,” he says, glancing back at the gravestone before he leaves, “I’m fucking your son.”

 

Then Kihyun walks back to the car to take him home. For Kihyun has made one with the six boys he calls family and he will do anything to make sure they don’t end up like Hyungsoo, six feet deep beneath the ground.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't know how to feel about this one but I'm so tired of looking at it (and tired in general lol) so it's going up and then I'll probably find tonnes of errors. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> But it's only my duty to add to the sad lack of Changki fic. Looks like this little mob!verse might be becoming a bit of a series but we'll see if I can commit.
> 
> Also, Goemul just means monster in Korean but I thought it sounded a little better in the context of the fic.


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